First raced by the men in 1829, and by women’s crews beginning in 1927, The Cancer Research UK Boat Races are amongst the oldest sporting events in the world. April 2017 saw the running of the 163rd Boat Race and 72nd Women's Boat Race, and took place on the Championship Course over 4.2 miles on the River Thames from Putney Bridge to Mortlake.

Presteigne Broadcast Hire has supplied a wireless solution for coverage of the race for the past four years, this year based on DTC Domo Broadcast technology, which formed the IP and RF backbone for CTV, the outside broadcast company chosen to provide the overall technical output for BBC Sport’s broadcast of the event.

With multiple receive nodes, camera control and communications, carried on Domo’s NetNode IP Mesh system, Presteigne ensured that all sites along the race route were wirelessly connected, including transmitters on competitor and facility boats. Each land-based site was also linked to the Mesh system to ensure that coverage of the entire race flotilla could seamlessly move through the entire race coverage area with no drops in connectivity.

DTC Domo Broadcast VP Sales JP Delport said, “The throngs of people lining the river means that cabling is not practical or, for that matter, safe. Therefore, reliable RF with multiple levels of redundancy is essential, both of which are integral attributes of our NetNode Mesh and PRORXB units.

“We’re very proud of our association with The Boat Races. It’s an historic race that is perfectly suited to the multiple levels of wireless connectivity we provide for such events.”